Destination: Cambodia

RETURN of the LOST CITY

Exploring wondrous carved jungle palaces of Khmer kings

April 19, 1998|CARL DUNCAN | Duncan is a freelance writer based in British Columbia, Canada

Odds are, that Khmer statue was not from Angkor, but from an outlying site. Such pieces disappeared from Angkor long ago, though not all were stolen. Some are in the National Museum in Phnom Penh. Others are stored at Angkor Conservation's sculpture depot just off the road to the ruins. APSARA officials told us that looting at Angkor was no longer the problem it once was. The real danger to the monuments now were the tourists.

"Cambodia welcomes [tourists] because it wants their money," one APSARA official told us, "but tourists are wearing away the sandstone monuments. Soon we will ask them to wear soft shoes."

Returning through the park after a long hot day, we noticed the afternoon sunlight catching the enigmatic smile of one of Angkor's famous giant stone faces in a magical way.

It was a photo opportunity, and we told our drivers to pull off into the shade.

A minivan soon parked alongside and several European tourists climbed out with their cameras. Apparently (as we couldn't help but overhear), their first day had been memorable. "When I was growing up," one of the women said, gazing at the monumental face of Jayavarman VII in the likeness of the smiling Buddha, "everyone wanted to see these ruins. Back then, you never heard of Thailand. It was all Angkor. . . ."